Ok, I hav had a Cab Foward for awhile and used it with only about a dozen rolling stock to put together a fun trian to watch. SSince all of my toehr equipment is modern, I havent really bothered with it. Just makes a appearance everynow and then.
Well, in the last few weeks, by good luck and fortune, I have aquired about dozen and half more peices. Enough so now, that i could actually put them in the layout and run some operations. But, I need some more power.
I have decided that the first thing I want to get is small switcher.
So, for that time frame what kind of switcher would have been common working the yards? I would prefer a desiel type. Mostly, it will be cheaper than a another steam unit. I am not too famailar with that era and I am about to learn, but thought I would check here first. Any input would be great.
I assume you’re talking about the late 40’s and 50’s. There were several small diesel switchers built during this time. SW9 or NW2 would be a couple of good ones.
Enjoy
Paul
An Alco S1 or S2 would also be prototypical.They were built during WW II because the government wouldn’t allow Alco to build road engines till after the war.NW2’s would also be good along with a Stewart Baldwin switcher.
A GE 44 or 70 tonner would also work for such an era. The transition period was when many new small switchers were introduced, as a lot of the older generation of steam switchers were scrapped for the war effort, and diesel locomotives were still proving their utility as lightweight switch engines.
A GE 44 toner was introduced I believe in 1941 using a catapiller diesel engine if I recall. Maybe an SW-1 would be a nice choice as well. There are a lot of them to choose from.
Thanks again for everyone’s input. I have actually decided to go with a RS1 type engine. I realised I planned on doing more than just small local work in a wharehouse district and thought that I should use a bigger engine. I kinda like the look of them.
The Stewart Baldwin VO-660 and VO-1000’s are early diesels. The VO-660 was manufactured from 1939-46. I just picked up the Stewart VO-660, equipped with a Digitrax decoder and replacement golden-white LEDs for under $100. Granted it doesn’t have sound like the BLI NW2 or SW7 would. The Stewart drive does have a strong and smooth CANON motor, very good for switching. The decoder install is basiclally a drop in.
The Proto 2000 Alco S1 is still one of my favorite switcher: terrific detail, VERY smooth - crawls like a sloth. I was able to pick one up at Trainworld for only $29.99. Switching it to DCC did mean having to isolate the motor from the frame. But, at that price, I really had not complaints. The S1’s came out about the same time as the Baldwins but were still being built into the 50’s.